National Republican., 1887-02-04
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.
THE ADMINISTRATION CRITICISED BY
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR'S.
BiiIs which Havo Passed the House
VIII Have Precedence for Considera-
tlon in the senato.-Arrears of PEN
-Congressmen's Clerks.


charge the committee on pensions from the
further consideration OF the bill remov-
ing the limitation on application for arrears
Of pensions was taken up, and Mr.. ingalls,
stated that his object waa to have the bill
brought before the Senate for action.
The resolution was agreed to--yeas 81,
nsys 2G-as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Blair, Cameron, Cheney,
Gongerr; Cullom, Dolph, Eyarts, Farwell, Frye
defson, Miller Mitchell of Oregon, Palmer,
Plumb, S1bin, Sewell, Sherman, Spooner. Tel.
Ter, Van Wyck, Williams, and Wilson of Iowa
NAYs--Messrs Beck, Berry, Butler, Call,
Cockrell, Coke, Eusts, George, Gotman Gray,
Hampton, Hawley, Jones OF Arkansas, Kenna,
salisbury, slbfyD sawyer, e Vance, Vest, %sltSsii,
Whittbofne, and Wilson of Maryland-26.
Mr.. Ingalls, stated that as the bill was one
OF very great consequence he would not ask
the Senate to vote for 1t instanter. He
gave notice, however, that early next week
he would move that the Senate proceed to
its consideration. The bill was placed on
the calendar,
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr..
Harris, providing that each day after the
morning business the Senate will proceed
TO the consideration OF the House bills on
the calendar, was taken up and adopted.
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr..
Plumb, calling on the Secretary OF the In
terlon for information as to whether there
is any rule OF the pension office whereby
any applicant for pension is denied
hearing by reason OF being also petitioner
to Congress, was taken up and discussed.
The discussion turned sOmewhat on the
question Of civil service reform. On that
point Mr.. Salisbury said that, while he
would not convert President Cleveland into
h,xta 4 ttatt .f,ffi
holder hostile to him, he would instruct
him that IL was duty which he owed to
himself, his administration, the party
which elected him, aud the country which
he served, to purge the departments of the
men hostile to his administration, and
unlees be did so he would not have sue
cessful administration.
Mr.. Morgan expressed the belief that
there was more intelligence represented In
the Democratic party to- day than ever had
existed before In any political party. Many
Republicans who had witnessed the rapacity
and infldelity to the constitution Of their
own party had been compelled through self
respect to join party which had some re-
spect for the constitution and law. And
that was the reason why he was able to say
that there was more intelligence represented
in the Democratic party today than had
ever been found before In any party In the
United States. The Democratic party was
a cong]omerate party made up largely OF
men who had enough independence OF
thought to leave behind them their party
leaders aud machine workers and come out
In the honest advocacy Of opinions and of
policy which they believed essential to the
whole country. He agreed with the senator
from Delaware that the President mistook
his opportunities for success and put very
much in peril when he deliberately left the
conduct Of public affairs In the hands of his
enemies. He hoped that the President and
heads OF departments would take warning
and not let themselves and their admins
tration be brought into disgrace by the
tIeachery Of subordinates.
Mr.. Plumb said the remarks OF the sena-
tor from Alabama seemed to indicate on his
part an absence Of accurate knowledge OF
what is going on In the United States. He
had eulogized the Democratic party but
that party was fast disappearing. There
were sections Of the country where 1t once
existed not only In vigor, but in great num-
bers, where there was only trace Of 1t left.
In South Carolina, state having, accord
ing to the last census, as many people as
Kansas and having as many representatives
in the other branch OF Congress, only 80, 600
votes were cast at the last congressional
election; while nearly 1000 were cast In
Kansas. One district in Kansas cast nearly
twice as many as the entire state Of South
Carolina. Only about 10000 votes were
cast in Georgia, the empire state OF the
south, over whose achievements the aver
age bourbon Democrat fingered with pride
the keystone of the confederate arch. He
would not say whether the census was to
be Observation-Disclosures Georgia had as mary
or more people than Kansas In 1880, but
Georgia cast less than one third the num-
Der OF votes cast in Kansas at the last gen.
eral election.
Mr. Morgan said that in Alabama the
Republicans mad no ticket at all.
Mr.. Beck explained that as to the state
Of Kentucky the smallness of the vote lin
the Lexington district, for instance), was
due to the fact there was no Republican
candidate running against Mr.. Breckin-
ridge. He agreed with the senators from
Delaware and Alabama that 1t was not wise
policy on the part Of the administration to
keep Its enemies in office, and he referred
to Mr.. Jameson, chief of the railroad mail
service, as a Republican who had under him
4,400 employees, with salaries from l,SO0 to
$500.
Mr.. Plumb expressed willingness to see
every Republican ofliceholder turned out.
He asked how 1t was that in Kentucky II
the people were really there they did not
come out to express their opinions at the
polls? What ground work was there for
The eulogy which the senator from Alabama
had passed on the Democratic party when
oDly2 or 8 per cent. Of its members ever
went to the pollsP In those places where
the Democratic party thrives most there
was no such thing as public opinion. No
man In Congress with only three or four
thousand votes at his back could assume to
represent any phase OF that public opinion
which ought to he finally reflected In laws
enacted by Congress. He didn't care to go
back Of the figures. Either the Democratic
party had disappeared or worse thing had
come about, and the people of those Sec
tions had no interest in public matters
didn't care who represented them in Con.
gress-didn't submit to the arbitrament Of
intelligent discussion, and were per conse-
quence not fitted to exercise the functions
of government.
The discussion continued until 2 o'clock
when the resolution was laid aside without
action, and the bill TO prohibit members OF
Congress from acting as attorneys or en-
ployes for subsidized railroad companies
was taken up.
Mr.. Evarts addressed the Senate in oppo-
sition to the bill. II he could satisfy the
Senate that 1t was bill which made that a
crime which, In Its quality, had no touch OF
turpitude and no quality of injury to the
public service, he should have gone good
way, he thought, In satisfying the honest
Judgment of the Senate and the honest
judgment Of the country that such an act
should not be passed, and that there was
no Justification for such special legislation.
lie thought, however, that an amendment
proposed TO be offered as a substitute 10
The bill by the senator from Delaware (Mr
Salisbury was an extremely well.drawn
bill. That substitute made 1t unlawful for
any member Of Congress to accept EN-
ployment as general counsel or attorney
or to receive payment for services as such
counsel or attorney from subsidized rail
road companies; with proviso that II shal
not be construed to prevent members OF
Congress from appearing as such counsel
in state or federal courts In suits which the
United States is not party.
He argued that the proposed Legislation
was entirely uncalled for. Every gentle
man who had defended or espoused It had
discarded at once any imputatlon that there